Pound for pound one of the greatest players of all time Diego Maradona left his mark in the world of sports and the world at large , he left us with fond memories, his 2 goals against England at the mexico 86 world cup is one that will leave forever in our minds.
Born 30th October 1960, in Lanús, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Diego Maradona started his football career at Argentina Juniors where he played 167 games and scored 116goals. After 5 years at the club he moved to Boca Juniors where he played 40 games and scored 28 goals .
His move from Boca Juniors to Barcelona in 1982 made him the most expensive player In the world, as he cost Barcelona 5 million euros to acquire. He went on to make 36 appearances for Barcelona scoring 22 goals, within a span of 2 years, winning the champions league and spanish la liga. In 1984 he smashed the transfer record he set 2 years earlier, with his move from Barcelona to Napoli for 6.9 million euros .
For 6.9 million euros the Italian club got a world beater , his arrival was greeted with a lot of celebration as he turned the club to tittle contenders and one of the strongest clubs in Italy. He led them to a triumph in the Italian and europa leagues respectively, and that astonishing feat made him an idol to a great deal of people. He thereafter made a move back to his home land in 1991 after he made 188 appearances and scored 81 goals for them ( Napoli). His number 10 shirt was retired by the club and till date he remains a legend of the club , with his murels painted on buildings in Naples , Italy .
Diego Maradona may be seen as a god by most people, especially the Argentines for everything he did for his country , he started his international career with the Argentine u20 team where he played 15 times and scored 8 Goals . His first appearance for the senior team came in 1984 , when he represented his country In the South American conmobol, a title he won 3 times.
He showed more of his class with the national team at the world cup in 1986 hosted by Mexico. This is probably the most memorable of all because of his performance , his stand out performance would come against the English (England) in the semi final were Diego Maradona went on to score 2 goals that will live in the memory of many. Scoring a header Which many believe was scored with his hand, but matters a little, he added an amazing solo goal. Those two goals proved to be crucial in the Argentines world cup glory with a victory over the then highly rated german machines in the finals. Sadly they lost the title they fought hard to defend against their oponent at the previous world cup final in 1990.
The loss seemed to mark the end of an illustrious career as Diego Maradona had to play for 3 different clubs in 3 years , suffered a 15 month suspension for drug use during the world cup In 1994 and finally he retired in 1996 at Boca Juniors. His coaching career took a big leap, as he guided the Argentine team in the 2010 world cup in South Africa, where they were unfortunately knocked out in the quarter final. He also coached clubs in Dubai. until his death he was coach of Gimnasa de la plata in Argentina .
Diego Maradona's personal accolades include fifa player of the year , ballon d or ,fifa puskas among others. Deigo Armando Maradona left a long lasting imprint on the game and a certain Lionel Messi has even drawn comparison with him but there can never be anyone like him .
Rest in Peace to one of the greatest players of all time.